2000s · 2000–2009
Post-punk and garage guitar bands reclaim radio after nu-metal and laptop pop.
After nu-metal and early digital pop dominate US/UK charts, New York bands like The Strokes put three-minute guitar songs back on MTV and indie press around 2001. The White Stripes and others keep garage minimalism visible. Arctic Monkeys (2005–06) show MySpace and UK indie press can break a guitar band fast. Rock stays on the axis with shorter songs, smaller clubs first, then festival scale again.
Sound: Tight garage snap, post-punk freeze, three-minute singles, lean production
Formed 1988
Alt-metal group led by Chino Moreno; Change and Digitized atmospheres bridge metal and shoegaze listeners.
Formed 1994
Tankian / Malakian alt-metal; Chop Suey! is the structural spike.
Formed 1994
Matt Bellamy–led arena alternative; Knights of Cydonia is the maximal single.
Formed 1995
Amy Lee–fronted goth/nu-metal crossover; Bring Me to Life is the chart spike.
Formed 1996
Homme-led hard rock/alt; riff machine behind Them Crooked Vultures link.
Formed 1996
Chris Martin–led band; Yellow and Clocks made early-2000s alternative a mass radio format.
Formed 1996
Chester Bennington / Mike Shinoda dual-vocal nu-metal; In the End is the global hook.
Formed 1997
UK indie/garage; Can’t Stand Me Now is the dual-vocal single.
Formed 1997
Jack / Meg White blues-garage; Seven Nation Army is the stadium chant riff.
Formed 1997
Paul Banks / Carlos Dengler–era gloom rock; Obstacle 1 is the debut-era single.
Formed 1998
Casablancas-led post-punk revival; Last Nite is the debut-era hook.
Formed 1999
US indie/alt rock; Sex on Fire and Use Somebody are the late-2000s crossover singles.
Formed 2001
Brandon Flowers–led stadium indie; Mr. Brightside is the durable single.
Formed 2002
Post-punk revival dance-rock; Take Me Out’s mid-song tempo drop became a club/indie staple.
Formed 2002
Turner-led indie/alt; Dancefloor and Do I Wanna Know? mark early and mid eras.
Formed 2009
Homme / Grohl / Jones supergroup; one-album hard-rock summit.